Much A-New about Vincent
by Loneeagle42
Summary: Cid discovers an interesting thing about vincent's past.


Much A-new about Vincent.  
  
  
The city of Kalm was under attack by monsters. The mayor of the town realized that his people wouldn't be able to hold out for long, so he did the only thing he could think of. He called the heroes who had saved the planet before.  
  
A little bit later, at the Costa-Del-Sol Villa, the team had gathered and a shouting match was going on between Cid and Cloud.  
  
"Why the hell do I have to go this time?" Cid shouted. He never wanted to spend much time away from Shera, not because he loved her and all, but he was afraid she'd mess up something in the Highwind.  
  
"Because Tifa and I stopped the last horde of monsters!" Cloud yelled back. He hadn't been please with that, as to date he had to help several towns defend themselves from monster attack. And frankly he was getting sick of it, as he didn't have much time to spend with Tifa.  
  
"What about Barret and Aeris?" Cid asked loudly. The Ancient girl had been ressurected when Yuffie accidentally searched through Tifa's Materia collection and found not only and underwater materia, but an Aeris Ressurection materia. The problem of eternal Cat-fights between the two had been solved when Barret had married Aeris.  
  
"Foo'! Who do ya think saved Bone Villiage a week ago when you were out fishin'?" Barret shouted back. He too had been annoyed at this turn of events. After all even heroes need a break sometimes, and thusfar Cid hadn't been pulling in his share of work.  
  
Cid muttered a few obscene words and then shot a glare at Red XIII and Yuffie, who were sitting in a corner.   
"What about those two? Have they done anything recently?"  
  
Red turned to glare at the pilot.   
"Yes, We were involved in an action near Wutai only two weeks ago. It wasn't easy Cid, but we defeated the monsters. And it came to my attention that you have only done half the missions that we have had to do in the time after we defeated Sephiroth."  
  
Cid growled a bit, but then turned to Vincent.  
"Fine, I'll do it, but I'll take the Spook with me."  
  
Vincent looked up when Cid had said that.  
"I'm not with the turks anymore." Was Vincent's reply.  
  
  
"Whatever.... Let's go. The Bronco's waiting." Cid said as she turned to walk outside. He stifled a chuckle as he left because it was fun to call Vincent a spook. "After all, he worked for the Shin-ra Turks. They acted enough like ghosts, popping in and spiriting people away, or making them vanish in other ways."  
  
Vincent nodded to the group and picked up the Death Penalty Rifle.   
  
"Good luck!" Aeris shouted after Vincent left.  
  
The plane ride was uneventful. Sure they had flown flew a few storms, but Cid's expert piloting skills ensured that they arrived safely at the outskirts of Kalm. The two had unloaded the supplies and set up camp quickly.  
  
"Let's get something straight Vincent. I want to get this done ASAP, so I can get home to Shera. I'm gonna get some extra sleep tonight so I can toast me some monsters in the morning. You don't mind staying up on watch do you?" Cid said as he grabbed a sleeping bag.  
  
"Not at all. Rest in peace." Vincent replied.   
  
Cid shrugged and went into the tent. When dawn came he awoke to the smell of Coffee being brewed. He exited the tent and grumbled.  
  
"No Tea?" He asked as he brought out his razor and mirror. He shaved off the un-ruly stubble on his face and sat down.  
  
"No." Was Vincent's response. Vincent then walked over and picked up the rifle. "I'm going to scout the south Kalm area. You can join when you feel rested enough." With that last statement, Vincent walked off towards the destination.  
  
"Man, that guy freaks me out..." Cid said as he poured himself a mug of coffee and sat down on a rock. However, it wasn't a rock... It was a rock Lobster! Cid jumped to his feet and slew the monster with one blow from his Venus Gospel. "What a way to start the day..." he muttered as he drank his coffee and got dressed.  
  
Cid frowned as he reached the area Vincent had told him about. A few thousand monsters had gathered together and were about to rampage through the city of Kalm. Cid pulled a cigarette out of his headband and lit it up. He then fumbled through his pocket and found a long-range radio to the Highwind.  
  
"This is the Captian, Proceed to coordinates 215 by 167 and begin the attack." He said as he surveyed the area. A few minutes later the Highwind appeared over the monster camp and launched missles into the area. When the smoke cleared only a few hundred monsters remained.  
  
"Allright! This'll be easier then I thought!" Cid shouted as he ran foward and began to tear into the remaining monsters. He had plowed through fifty of them when a rather large monster came up from behind him and caught him off guard.  
"Ahh... crap!" he shouted as he tried to whirl his spear around to block the blow.  
  
However, before the claws tore into Cid's flesh a shot rang out and the monster fell dead. Cid looked over to a nearby hill, upon which Vincent was standing.  
  
"Sure took your time!" Cid yelled as he turned back to the task at hand.  
  
Vincent sighed as he walked down the hill. The rifle went off now and then, finding the target whenever it was fired. Cid on the other hand was creating new variations of monster entrail Shish kebob. Vincent casted a few summon spells, and the monster horde was reduced to about ten of the larger foes.  
  
"He doesn't mess around, does he?" Cid thought as he began to attack one of the remaining few. Once they were down to a few monsters, Cid began to get even flashier with his attacks and Lax on his defenses. However, he wouldn't pay for that mistake directly. Too late he noticed that a large beast had come up behind him and was about to strike.  
  
"Not again!!!" Cid yelled as he attempted to dodge. However, he was saved yet again as another body intersected the razor sharp claws for him. Vincent fired at the monster as the claws slid out of the wounds they had created on the Turk's body.   
Vincent hit the ground with a large thud and then groaned.  
  
"NOOO!!!" Cid shouted as he butchered the remaining foes. When they were all gone, he took his friend back to camp and laid Vincent on a cot. "Cure materia... where is it?" He muttered as he went through his stash of materia orbs. A few of them hit the wall of the tent and exploded. "Cursed Yuffie. I'm gonna pound her for replacing those summons with fireworks..." he thought as he found the appropriate spell orb and put it in his bangle.  
  
Vincent was breathing lightly when Cid finally returned. The wound had already clotted, but Cid knew if Vincent recieved no aid, he'd be a goner so he undid the lower portion of Vincent's shirt and placed his hand on the wound. Holy energy flew from Cid's fingers and the wounds closed completely. However, the ex-turk was still breathing lightly so Cid looked around for more wounds.  
  
"That's odd, No cuts or nothing... but what's this?" He thought as he looked at Vincent's body. The particular item he was wondering about appeared to be like a gauze wrapping, only non-transparent and thicker.   
  
"Man, how could he hide this pain? I mean, with all those wrappings he musta been sliced and diced by about every time we ever went out to fight..." Cid muttered as he took a penknife out of his pocket and began to slice the wrappings apart.  
"Mabye he opened one of the old scars, and that's why he's not doing well." Cid thought as he continued to cut the wrappings.   
  
However, Cid was noticing something wierd. Under the wrappings was nothing but smooth skin. Sure it was a little pale, but so was Vincent. As Cid was nearing the top few bandages Vincent's breathing became faster and longer.  
  
"What's wrong here?" Cid muttered. "There's nothing wrong with him..." As he was completing this thought a clawed hand shot up and grabbed his throat.  
  
"Gruk!" Cid went as he tried to remove the hand from his neck, but it was to no avail. Vincent's eyes shot open and glared at Cid.  
  
"How much did you see?" Vincent asked, a blank stare in his crimson eyes.  
  
"Nothin'! I didn't see anything!" Cid managed to sputter. Vincent relaxed his grip and the pilot fell on the hard ground. The turk stood up and faced the midday sun. Vincent's cape had fallen off in the stuggle, so Cid staggered to his feet and picked up the cloak. He looked at it closely and then gasped.   
  
"What is this?" Cid asked as he viewed a little piece of electronic equiptment that had been sewn into the collar of the cloak.. It appeared to have a microphone as a piece of the device, so Cid spoke into it.  
  
"Testing... Testing... One two three..." He said. The voice that came out of the device was like his own, except deeper and a little more quiet. Cid pondered what this could mean. It was obvious that this device changed voices, but he couldn't understand why Vincent had it.  
  
"What does this mean Vincent?" Cid asked his comrade. Vincent just stared blankly foward, not focusing on anything. "Comeon Vincent... I'm your friend. I know some things about your past and I'll help in any way I can."  
  
"Hardly anyone knows this part of my past... and I doubt you would hold me in the same confidence as you normally would." Vincent replied in a lighter tone then normal. "This fact should just stay buried."  
  
Cid was suprised. Both at the sound of Vincent's real voice and the words that accompanied it. Vincent had been part of the group for as long as he had been, and they had made it through thick and thin together.  
  
"Look buddy... I want to help you... Just tell me what the hell's going on!" He shouted. Cid was worried, was this part of Hojo's influence on his Friend.  
  
Vincent sighed and replied, "If you wish... But I caution you that you will never think of me in the same way again." After saying this Vincent bent over and picked up Cid's discarded knife. The sound of cloth being cut filled the air for a second and then stopped. Then came sounds of the buckles begins fastened and buttons being buttoned as Vincent secured the shirt that he usually wore. Vincent then dropped the blade. "Are you sure you want to see this then Cid?"  
  
Cid nodded. "I won't think any different. You're Vincent, no matter what happens. We've been through hell and back to save the world... And we got to know each other, so whatever happes, you're my pal."  
  
"Allright. If that's the way you think, then I will show you." Vincent said as a bit of sunlight reflected off the blade of Cid's knife. With that Vincent turned around and Cid's jaw hit the ground. A Few seconds later the rest of him joined the jaw and he began convulsing.  
  
When Cid recovered enough to sit up properly he observed his comrade. Vincent had taken off the headband that normally tied the raven-black hair into something more manageable. Once free, the hair had fallen limply to the small of Vincent's back. However, it wasn't the hair Cid had focused on, it was Vincent's chest.  
  
"You're a......." Cid managed to get out before the shock of the situation smacked him about as hard as that semi had smacked into Palmer.  
  
"Yes Cid, I am a woman." Vincent replied. She walked over to the stunned Cid and took her cloak from his hands.  
  
"How long....?" Cid sputtered.   
  
"Since I was born." Vincent said as she threw the cloak over her shoulders and sat down.  
  
"But why the deception?" Cid asked. "Did you think we'd think less of you because you were a woman?"  
  
Vincent shrugged and looked down at her feet.  
"No. It was just I had acted as a man for the longest time, and had intended to keep up the deception."  
  
Cid nodded to his friend.  
"I understand, but what about your past? Why act like a guy in the first place? It doesn't make any sense to me..."  
  
Vincent stood up and walked over to a tree. She looked like she was lost in thought, but then she turned around and addressed Cid.  
  
"It was because I was born in a different time then you were." She said as she walked back to the pilot.  
  
"Different time?" Cid asked, as a confused look crossed his face.  
  
"Yes. Back when I was still a teenager I had always wanted to join the Shin-ra Turks. However at that time they were quite sexist. They didn't think that a woman would be able to do the job as well. So I changed my name and contacted a doctor friend of mine who could keep my secret. The rest is history." Vincent said.  
  
Cid nodded. His own experiences had been that way. Shin-ra had never been a fair company. They had never even considered his wife Shera to be a viable applicant for the Space Program. And that had been several years after Vincent had become a turk.  
  
"I see. But why would you get so annoyed at Hojo? Did he cheat on you or somethin?" Cid started, but quickly clamped his hand over his mouth. The Scientist Hojo was a sore topic for Vincent, and Cid had regretted what he had said as soon as it left his mouth.  
  
Vincent was silent for a few seconds, then began to speak again.  
"You remember Lucretia?" She asked the pilot. Cid nodded as he had been one of the few Vincent had taken to that cave.  
"We met when we were both starting out for Shin-ra. She learned my secret early on, but she did not care. We became good friends..... Then Hojo did something unspeakable to her.... that's why I confronted him."  
  
Cid nodded to Vincent.  
"Gotcha. If he had done something like that to Shera... I might have beaten the little twerp to a bloody pulp. But what now?"   
  
Vincent looked away for a second in thought.  
"I don't know. You've opened pandora's box and it cannot be sealed up again."  
  
Cid muttered Incoherently for a few seconds.   
"I doubt that I could keep from slipping up in front of the guys... So eventually I might spill the beans. I'd suggest that you go back like you are right now." He said.  
  
Vincent nodded solemny.   
"Perhaps you're right. I will return to the group in my present state. At least I know you still accept me for who I am."  
  
"Allright. After we break camp then... Hey, what was your given name anyway?" Cid asked as he stood up and headed for his tent.  
  
"Victoria Vanentine." She replied.  
  
"Not much of a stretch to Vincent then. I like it though, suits you." Cid replied from his tent.  
  
Vincent also began to break camp. She took down her tent quickly and rolled up all her belongings. After loading them onto the Tiny Bronco, she went back to help Cid.  
  
"Hey, Don't help me out... You did that enough on the battlefield." Cid said as he wrapped up his possessions in his sleeping bag. He then took down his tent and packed it into the cargo section of the small plane.  
  
Vincent stood there and watched the people of Kalm finally come out and started to regain the semblance of a normal life.  
"Enjoy it while you can..." She said as she entered the rear portion of the cockpit.  
  
"Allright, we're out like stout." Cid said as he hopped into the cockpit and started up the bronco.  
  
A few hours later and the two friends landed outside of Costa-del-sol.  
Cid opened the cockpit and lowered the ladder.  
"Ladies first..." He said as he motioned to Vincent.  
  
Vincent glared at Cid and exited the cockpit.  
"I never asked for any special treatment." She said as she reached the ground and pulled the Death Penalty out of the cargo hold.  
  
Cid hopped down and stared at Vincent for a second.  
"Any reason you're goin' in armed?" He asked.  
  
Vincent shrugged, said nothing, and began to walk towards the town.  
  
Cid grumbled and followed his friend. The trip was uneventful and they soon arrived at the villa.  
"Sure you're okay with this?" He asked as they reached the door.  
  
Vincent nodded.  
"I think it's time I told everyone anyway." She replied as she grabbed the doornob and began to turn.  
  
Cid stepped in front of the door and shook his head.  
"At least let me go in first... I wanna see their reactions." He said as he began to snicker. Vincent looked back at Cid for a second and then shook her head.  
  
"Whatever you want..." She replied as she backed away and leaned up against a wall.  
  
Cid put on a serious face as he entered the villa. He shot glares at all the rest of the group.  
"Thanks for sending me out there for a couple of monsters. Yeesh. Even Yuffie could have taken them out with no trouble." he said as he flopped down on the couch.  
  
Cloud nodded to Cid and looked around.  
"Hey, where's Vincent? Didn't he go with you?" The spikey haired warrior asked. The others began talking amongst themselves about the disapparance of their comrade.  
  
"That's the thing. See after the battle I was talkin' with Vincent, and well.... things surfaced that you should see..." Cid replied before he went over to the door. "You can come in now!"  
  
With that Vincent walked in the door, and things began to happen.  
For one, Cloud couldn't remember what his Cloud Strife Freakout felt like, so he had to do it again. Barret wondered how many times he could bash his head with his gunarm before he knocked himself out. Yuffie decided to see if her Final attack/Revive materia combination was still working and keeled over and died. She was brought back to life a second later and was happy the materia still worked. Tifa saw a stain on the floor and fainted right over it. Red shrugged and nodded to Vincent, and Aeris seemed to be blissfully unaffected.  
  
"So our Caped Crusader turns out to be a woman then?" Red asked as his tail twitched around a mite. "But don't worry, We are all still your friends. When they come around and become used to your condition, they'll tell you the same thing."  
  
"You mean you guys didn't know?" Aeris asked as she looked at Vincent. "That's kind of silly. I mean, I knew after hanging around in the lifestream. Being turned into a human sheath by an evil villian does have some advantages." She said as she smiled cutely.  
  
Vincent walked over and stood in a corner to think.  
  
Just then Reeve came through the door.  
"I came as soon as you guys called. I even brought the wife along." The ex-shin-ra Exec said as he led a young and attractive person into the room. The woman looked up at everyone and smiled.  
  
"Hello, I'm Sakaya Andrews, it's a pleasure to meet Reeve's friends finally." She said as she curtsied to the assembled crowd. "Not to Nit-pick, but why are most of them unconsious?"  
  
Reeve surveyed the room and looked confused for a few seconds.  
"Good question. Could someone please tell me what happened...." His question trailed off as his eyes fell on Vincent.  
"What the... Vincent? Is that you?"   
  
Vincent turned to view the controller of Cait Sith.  
"Yes."  
  
Reeve sat down on a couch and nodded a few times.  
"Okay... This is strange but it does explain something. When I was going through the old Turk files, I found a Vincent Valentine, but when I went back before that, there was no birth certificate or anything that said he existed. However I did find one for a Victoria Valentine. Is that you?"  
  
Vincent nodded to Reeve.  
"That was my given name."  
  
Red smiled a toothy Grin.  
"Victoria. It does suit your personality. Anyway you should have just told us the truth from the start, but whats done is done..."  
  
Aeris smiled an equally large grin.  
"Now we can do your hair, get you some nice clothes, and put on makeup Victoria!"  
  
Vincent shot a blank look at Aeris.  
"I don't think so."  
  
Aeris began to pout and became chibified.  
"Pweeeease?!"  
  
Vincent turned away from this little spectacle.  
"No."  
  
Aeris returned to normal.  
"But... But."  
  
Vincent shot another blank stare at Aeris.  
"If you persist, I shall let Chaos make my arguement more persuasive."  
  
With a little noise that sounded like "Eep" Aeris quieted down and returned to her seat.  
  
By this time the others were regaining consiousness. Cloud was the first one to stand up and take another look at Vincent.  
  
"How did this happen?" He asked.  
  
"I bet it was dose damn shin-ra!" Barret replied as he rose and rubbed his head.  
  
Reeve thwapped Barret soundly and shrugged.  
"Sorry man, It wasn't the Shin-ra's fault this time. Vincent wasn't born Vincent. He.. I mean She was born Victoria Valentine."  
  
Cid nodded at Reeve.  
"Yeah. She changed it so she could become an officer in the Turks. Due to Shin-ra's old Sexist policy that is."  
  
Most of those assembled there nodded, except Cloud. He was too busy walking over to Vincent to get a closer look.  
"Kinda makes sense. I knew you were too attractive to be a guy." Cloud said as he smiled.  
  
However, Tifa had then kicked him up into the roof, so Cid and Barret had to spend a few minutes trying to pull him down. Yuffie meanwhile wondered if this change lessened Vincent's reflexes, so she walked over and tried to grab some materia. This action caused Vincent some agitation, as she raised the Death Penalty to the level of Yuffie's eyes and shook her head.  
  
"Like, Just kidding Vickie..." Yuffie replied as she began to walk back to her seat. She quickly stopped in her tracks as a gunshot rang out and a bullet flew by her ear.  
  
"Call me Vickie at your own peril." Vincent replied as she blew the smoke from her gun barrel and placed it back in the holster. Yuffie wanted to see the structural capacity of the floorboards and collapsed right away.  
  
Aeris meanwhile had been to the basement and picked up a can of paint. She came upstaris and flung it at Vincent, drenching her clothes in neon green.   
  
Vincent remained in silence for a second, then shot the glare of death at Aeris. Then she looked down at her clothes and uttered two words.  
"Run. Now."  
  
Aeris then decided that trying out for the Midgar Olympics was a good idea, so she took off like a bat out of the lifestream. Vincent had calmed down to a point that she was only plotting a slow and painful form of revenge.  
  
"If anyone needs me, I will be downstairs washing my clothes." Vincent said as she walked downstairs and closed the basement door. Yuffie got up a few seconds later and looked around confusedly.   
  
"Like, what just happened?" She asked as she rubbed the bump on her head.  
  
"Just be greatful that you aren't Aeris, allright?" Cid replied as he gave a final yank. Cloud finally came down from the roof with bits of plaster stuck in-between his spikes.  
  
"Where'd Vincent go?" Cloud asked as he removed a rather large piece and flung it randomly. The piece of plaster happened to fly out of the window and crash into an unsuspecting man who was walking down the street. The impact caused the man's brain to spontaneously turn into jello and thus he died. However, being that this man was Biggs Jr. No one cared and thus it had no impact on the story.  
  
"After she got soaked in Neon green paint, she retreated to the basement." Reeve replied as he pulled out a mop and tossed it to Cid.  
  
"What do I look like? A @#%!@#$% maid?" Cid replied as he threw the mop down in disgust. "Besides, it's not the same as mine, so I'm not gonna use it."  
  
Reeve shrugged and handed the mop to Yuffie, who grimaced at the thought of doing actual work.  
  
"Like, I don't think so! You expect me, the future leader of Wutai to mop the floor?" She replied as she looked smugly at Reeve.  
  
"If you don't do it, I'll tell the gang about all the materia and gil you... appropriated." Reeve whispered to the young ninja.  
  
Yuffie eeped and took the mop. A few minutes later and the remaining paint was gone. By that time Vincent had returned to the group. This time she had on a bluish Suit, with a white shirt and tan pants.  
  
"Very..... Turkish." Cid said as he saw this new ensamble.  
  
Vincent shrugged and resumed her thinking in the corner. Just then Tifa came back to the land of the living.  
  
"Ugh... my aching head." She muttered as she rose to her feet. "Did anyone get the number of that truck that plowed into me and backed up a few times?"  
  
"Yeah... It was YOU DOLT." Cid replied as he snickered some. Cloud and Barret joined in the laughter and a few minutes later the group was back to quasi-normal. Barret looked around the room a few times before bellowing one of his famous catch-phrases.  
  
"What about Marlene?!" He shouted as he smashed a random table with his gun-arm.  
  
"Don't you remember? You let her go bartend at the local tavern." Tifa replied. "The management was quite suprised that a five year old could mix drinks better then their current help."  
  
Barret nodded like he suddenly had a flash of insight.  
"Right... I forgot..." He replied. "I'm gonna go pick her up."  
  
Vincent moved from the corner.   
"I belive I shall accompany you. Perhaps my patience will return if I got some fresh air."  
  
Barret shrugged at his friend.  
"It's yo' Choice. I don't mind though."  
  
Vincent nodded and the two left the villa and headed for the tavern. Along the way Barret discussed the latest events in his life, including the protest marches that he had been a member of along with Aeris. Vincent nodded at the larger man's stories.  
  
"Here we are." Vincent said as they arrived at the bar.  
  
Barret nodded and walked in. Vincent followed a second later. The room was filled with patrons, most either passed out or on the verge of doing so. However, three of the patrons caught the eye of the two heroes. In the back of the bar were the turks.   
  
Reno looked up as the door entered.  
"Well... If it isn't our buddy Barret... and Whoa... Who's that with him?"  
  
Rude looked at the two and shrugged. Elena turned around and stared at the new arrivals.  
"I dunno. Did Barret go and become a Pimp?"  
  
Reno shook his head.  
"I doubt it, but I do want to find out who that person is with him. After all, I'm always looking for a good time."  
  
Rude looked at Reno and shook his head. Apparently Reno had pulled something like this before and it hadn't worked then. He doubted that his friend's lines had improved so much that he'd even have a chance of getting a date with a blind grandmother.  
  
Elena muttered something incoherent so Reno turned around.  
"Elena, Don't be so weak. If you got something to say to me, then say it."  
  
Elena then looked at her friend.  
"I said, You don't even have an Ancient's chance in a room full of Sephiroth Clones."  
  
Reno glared at Elena and laughed some. He then stood up and began walking towards the two heroes. When he reached Vincent he smiled at her and attempted to use his line.  
  
"Hey Baby, I used to be in the turks. Do you want any protection from the big bad Barret?" He asked as he tried to get a better look at this new girl.  
  
Vincent shrugged but didn't turn around.  
"Go away Reno." She replied.  
  
"Ahh, so my name is that famous? Well, then you'd love to be seen with such an notorious figurehead?" Reno replied as he smiled.  
  
"Perhaps Notorious at running away." Vincent replied as she kept walking towards the bar.  
  
Rude smiled some and Elena began to snicker at this. Reno however didn't get the message and continued undaunted.   
"Hey, That wasn't my Fault. It would have been bad if I died, after all then the women of the world wouldn't be able to worship my beauty."  
  
Vincent sighed and turned around.  
"Reno, Go away." She said as she shook her head at him.  
  
Reno took a good look at the woman in front of him.  
"It feels like we've met before..." He said as he continued to stare at Vincent.  
  
Vincent sighed.  
"You knew me as Vincent Valentine. That's not my real name of course."  
  
Reno blinked a few times. He figured he'd had one too many Midgar Mudslides that night, but for some odd reason this person did resemble Vincent.  
"Man, and I thought you were a freak before..." Reno said as he smiled smugly.  
  
Rude nodded to Elena and pointed down at the ground. Elena smiled and ducked her head. The next second occured and Reno's flying body flew right over the table. Vincent stood there with her clawed hand in a fist and a very disappointed look on her face.  
  
"Good night Reno." Vincent said as she walked outside the bar.  
  
Vincent then walked down on the beach and leaned up against a palm tree. This had been an interesting day and she didn't know what the future would bring. However she needed to get back to the Villa before Aeris went and destroyed her usual clothes.  
  
The trip back to the Villa was uneventful. Yuffie had popped out once and attempted to pick-pocket her materia, but Vincent had caught her and stuffed her into a dumpster with the rest of the garbage. Soon after that she arrived at the Villa.  
  
"I have returned." She said as she began to walk towards the basement steps. Tifa walked into the room and yiped.  
  
"Umm Vincent... You shouldn't go down there..." She said as she attempted to turn her friend away from the stairs.  
  
"My clothes are almost done in the dryer. I would like to get changed into my normal attire." Vincent replied as she continued on her path down the stairs.  
  
"Oh great..." Tifa said. "I'd better call the repairman again."   
  
Vincent had arrived in the basement and proceeded to the dryer. When she opened it she found her uniform there, except it was about ten sizes too small. Her eyes flashed in the semi-darkness as she scanned the surrounding area. In the corner of the room something decided to make a bee-line for the stairs, but was quickly stopped by Vincent.  
  
"Aeris.... Why did you have to incur my wrath a second time?" Vincent said as she reached into her pocket and produced a Time materia. She then casted Stop on the hapless Ancient. "What shall I do to you now?" Vincent said as she walked around her ally. "I could just leave you here for a day, unable to move at all. But that would not be satisfactory for me..." A genuine look of fear started to form in Aeris' eyes as Vincent continued to circle.  
  
"What to do... What to do... Perhaps I should stick you and Yuffie in a room for a few days. Just you, her, and a radio with all her favorite songs..." The look of fear grew even bigger at that statement. After all, Yuffie's singing made Vogon poetry sound like a choir of angels. "However, Even I am not that cruel. So I will just have to think of something else." She said as she continued to pace around the room and formulate an idea of how to punish her friend. "Or perhaps I should try my hand at maintaining your garden. I have to tell you though, I have somewhat of a black thumb..." With a bit more pacing Vincent turned to Aeris and snapped her fingers. "I know what I will do. I'll get your agent to book you in a lemon with Don Corneo. That's a good idea." The look of fear disappeared as Aeris fainted dead away. Vincent smiled for a second and picked up her comatose friend and walked over to the corner.  
  
"Hmm, Someone left a perfectly good coffin here... I might as well make use of it." Vincent thought as she put Aeris down into the coffin and closed the lid. "When she wakes up, this should scare her out of her wits."  
  
With that out of the way Vincent walked upstairs and leaned against the wall until Tifa came out of the kitchen.  
"Tifa, do you have any clothes I could wear for a while? Apparently someone went and shrunk my regular outfit..."  
  
Tifa looked shocked for a second, then nodded. "Well, I dunno what I have that might fit you. You'd be better going to the local store and picking up something."  
  
"Tifa, this is a game that does not involve the changing of one's clothing. Cloud had worn his soldier suit since the incident in Nibelheim... I was lucky that there was a washer and dryer in my room at the mansion..." Vincent replied.  
  
Tifa nodded and sighed. "And he only has the one suit... How do you think I feel? I've got to live with the guy 24-7. I'm almost tempted to get that dress of his out and slip it on him so I can wash the suit..."  
  
Vincent shrugged. "Before you go off on a tangent, do you have anything that could fit me?"  
  
Tifa scratched her head for a bit and then nodded.   
"Only problem is that All I have are clothes for a woman... You could go and ask someone else for something to wear."  
  
Vincent shook her head and sighed.  
"Unfortunately none of the others are the same stature as I am, so that's why I came to ask you."  
  
Tifa nodded and went up to her room. A few minutes later she returned bearing an armload of clothing.  
"Well, this are all the things that might fit you, go ahead and decide. I won't be offended if you don't take anything either."  
  
Vincent nodded and began to check out the clothes that laid before her. Most of the clothes were smallish-looking and would therefore reveal more of her then she wanted revealed. She shrugged to Tifa, but then sighed.  
  
"Thank you for the offer, But I just thought of something..." Vincent said as she walked outside to meet Cid. She walked up to the pilot and nodded.  
  
"Cid, I'd like to go home." She said quietly.  
  
"Sure, where to? Nibelheim?" The pilot responded.  
  
Vincent shook her head to indicate that wasn't their destination.  
  
"Upper plate of Midgar, Sector four." She said as she began walking towards the Tiny Bronco.  
  
"Uhh, Sure... Just let me go tell everyone that I'll be heading out." Cid replied as he ventured back in the villa. A few minutes later he emerged and nodded to Vincent.  
  
"All right... Move out!" He said as he climbed up the ladder to the cockpit of the Bronco. Vincent shrugged and followed her friend. A few minutes later and the plane was in the air.  
  
"You live in Midgar?" Cid asked as he set the autopilot and turned around.  
  
"I used to." Vincent replied as she watched the terrain fly by.  
  
The trip was quick, and even though Cid kept asking questions, Vincent remained silent. They landed the plane outside of the city and walked in through the sector three gate. An hour later they caught a train to Sector four plate and began to walk down streets.  
  
"Are you sure they haven't torn the place down yet?" Cid asked as Vincent led him through the city.  
  
Vincent shrugged and continued walking.  
"Perhaps, but I'd like to see anyway. There's no harm in investigating it."  
  
A few streets later and Vincent stopped outside of a mansion. She placed her hands on the gate and sighed.  
"This is it."  
  
Cid observed the building. It had weathered the test of time well, and the only indication that this was an old structure was the Ivy that stretched to the third floor. Cid shook his head and began to laugh a bit.  
  
"You're a great kidder. Now where is your house?" He asked as he leaned against a wall.  
  
Vincent looked at Cid and sighed.  
"When have I ever told a joke?" She asked as she pulled out a key and unlocked the gate. She walked inside the grounds and towards the door.  
  
Cid shrugged and followed Vincent in.  
  
The inside of the house was incredibly large. Even the entryway was as big as the Villa itself. Cid walked around looking at the various pieces of art adorning the walls while Vincent disappeared upstairs. Cid entered what looked to be a library and scanned the room. Hanging over the fireplace was a portrait of two women and a man. One of the women was tall, with a white dress on. She had a beautiful face and long dark hair. The other woman was shorter and wearing a red dress. She had a smile on her pretty face but no expression in her red eyes. The man wore a uniform of a high ranking officer. He was smiling as he hugged the two women.  
  
"Hmm.. wonder who this is?" Cid thought as he continued to stare at the picture in an attempt to discern who it could be.  
  
"That's me. And those two others are my parents." Vincent said as she entered the room and sat down in an easy-chair. She looked up at the picture and sighed.  
  
"What were they like?" Cid asked as he sat opposite of his friend.  
  
"My father was a general in the Shin-ra army. He was a proud man who seldom was defeated in battle. My mother was the daughter of a shin-ra Executive." Vincent replied. "We had a normal family relationship until I decided to join the turks. They had wanted me to marry the son of an executive... His name was Reginald Andews... Once I learned that I left home and became what I was."  
  
Cid smiled and nodded.  
"Gotcha. So instead of being with the boring fop, You decided to go join the turks."  
  
Vincent nodded.  
"Basically Cid." She replied as she tapped the arm of the chair with her claw. "Cid, if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone with my thoughts."  
  
Cid nodded and stood up.   
"Whenever you want to get back with the group, you're more then welcome to." Cid said as he walked out the door.  
  
Vincent nodded and knew this to be true. They would indeed share many more adventures, but that is another story in and of itself.  
  
The End. 


End file.
